Historic “Once-in-a-Lifetime” Event as Betelgeuse Nears Momentary Disappearance
Astronomers are predicting a stunning celestial event that will be witnessed by skywatchers across the world. The event is set to cause Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and biggest stars visible from Earth, to briefly vanish. The phenomenon is expected to be caused by asteroid Leona passing in front of the well-known star, resulting in Betelgeuse becoming fainter and nearly disappearing for a duration of 7 to 12 seconds.
The event is expected to take place on Monday and early Tuesday, with prime viewing opportunities in central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain, as well as parts of Mexico and Miami, Florida. The predicted peak time in Florida is approximately 8:24:54 pm local time on December 11, while the midpoint is forecasted to occur in Cordoba, Spain, at around 2:15:45 am local time on December 12.
Betelgeuse, located in the constellation Orion, is a red supergiant star which has become notable for its fluctuating brightness. Some scientists have raised concerns regarding a possible explosion of the star, although further observations have shown that such an event is far from imminent. Nevertheless, scientists are still working to determine the star’s precise size and other characteristics.
The upcoming event with asteroid Leona is extremely uncommon and only observable from Earth once every few decades. Researchers expect that it will present a unique opportunity to learn new details about Betelgeuse and the asteroid, such as its size and the motion of charged gas around the dying star.
For astronomy enthusiasts who are unable to witness the event in person, the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy will provide a live webcast. The opportunity to see Betelgeuse in this unusual state “is a very short time” according to the Virtual Telescope Project, which says it will be akin to how the constellation will appear in the distant future when Betelgeuse has exploded as a supernova and faded to black.
Betelgeuse, which is around 700 times larger and thousands of times brighter than the sun, is so massive that it would extend past Jupiter if it were to take the place of our sun. However, at only 10 million years old, it is far younger than the sun. Scientists anticipate that due to its mass and the rate at which it is burning up its material, Betelgeuse will not last long.
In 2019, Betelgeuse saw a significant decrease in brightness after many years of fluctuating brightness due to the massive expulsion of surface material into space. NASA reported that the ensuing dust cloud momentarily obstructed the starlight, and after six months, Betelgeuse regained its previous brightness.
The upcoming event is sure to captivate skywatchers and provide an unprecedented opportunity to study this legendary star and the asteroid creating this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.